


Shots

by Saltedwedges



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate universe - hitman/photographer, Eventual Romance, M/M, Rating May Change, Strangers to Lovers, eventually the plot will thicken but we'll see, romcom?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 13:09:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17529344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltedwedges/pseuds/Saltedwedges
Summary: Ash earned the title of a fearless lynx not for nothing. In the ripe age of 22, he stands on the top of the hierarchy in the world filled with assassins. This night, his client bailed out and left him with nothing to do.A story of a cute boy who thought Ash got ditched by his date and the ferocious hitman rendered harmless bonding over various types of shots.





	Shots

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! it has been 3 years since the last time i wrote a fic and this is my first fic for this fandom too! My english might not be the best, but i tried;; Anyway it originated from a crack tweet that eventually evolved to a whole plot (tysm Lona for helping me to develop the plot)

Ash is sweating bullets.

Never once in his life as a professional assassin has he ever frets away from challenges no matter how difficult it is. Ash is not called a fearless lynx for nothing, earning the title from the satisfaction of his clients and his handler. He swears it is just too stuffy in this bar where everybody reeks of alcohol.

Including the guy he is sitting with currently.

The black-haired man looks barely legal and he has been drinking 3 glass of liquor, face red and hair messy but still somehow able to talk even if his sentences are full of slur. He keeps blabbering about someone named Mrs. Coleman who was described as his latest client. The bar is slowly losing customers as the clock ticks away. Some went out, bringing their drunk colleagues with their arms slung on the sober one’s shoulders, heads bobbing and so close to giving up to the tender gravity. His own acquaintance –If he could even call a person he introduced himself to two hours ago like that- has his head resting on the table, his glasses askew with his round cheek squished against the mahogany table. He made a mental note to ask for his address and not to let him rot in the bar as the night is growing heavy and dawn is approaching. Ash quietly shook the man’s shoulder in an attempt to wake him up.

“Ye..s?” he managed to drawl out. 

The blond youth grabbed the other man’s arms and put it around his shoulder then heaved him up. Once he managed to get up and out of the bar, the neon sign still blinking, he quickly called for a cab. Despite being horrendously drunk, the Asian is still somehow stubborn, refusing to move and tried to unwind himself from Ash’s strong grasp on his body, asking him about what he wants, if he is going to be kidnapped, and other nonsense he could spew in his drunken stupor. A light scoff escaped the mouth of the younger man while his right arm managed to hoist him to the backseat of the cab.

“No, dumbo. I’m just a humble friend who don’t want you to spend your night here at the bar. Now, could you tell me where do you live?” Ash asked gently as the man’s phone buzzed. In the screen, a name is displayed as ‘silly little brother’, complete with an edited picture of an Asian teen with hamster ears and teeth.

 _‘Maybe I could get a hold on his address by answering the call,’_ he then reached out for the smartphone.

 It’s not like Ash is here to make friends but the story of their encounter is something too awkward to be told. Shorter will laugh like crazy for sure and maybe Blanca will just pat his back to console him from his embarrassment.

* * *

 

 

The blonde was originally waiting for his future client, choosing the bar he frequents at. A neon sign spelling “The Garden of Eden” blinked obnoxiously against the dark of the night, prompting people to come in and taste the sweet temptation of alcohol. Ash sat in front of the counter, rubbing his stiff neck. He met Alex, a bartender working at the place and ordered his usual drink, just with less alcohol so he will be on the right mind to discuss plans with his client.

Thirty minutes passed and his glass is now dripping with condensation, the content half-drunk. Ash absent-mindedly swirled the liquid inside while his right hand is busy scrolling through his contact list to search for his client’s name.

_‘Damn that Kippard, I’m gonna turn his ass into hot dogs if he doesn’t show up any time soon.’_

His prediction was actually on-spot, as he got informed by Golzine that Kippard withdrew from the deal and left. Ash clicked his tongue and downed the rest of his drink in frustration. This wasn’t the first time but it didn’t stop him from getting irritated. His fingers scratched his head lightly as a natural reaction and order another drink despite not having any kind of purpose left for him to do in the bar.

Ash is a man moved by missions and objectives, has been accustomed to bark of orders since 5 years ago. At the age of 22, he sits at the top of hierarchy in mafia world as a renowned killer, skilled in hand-to-hand combat and shooting as well as interrogation when the time calls for it. He works mainly under Corsican mafia’s kingpin, Dino Golzine who assigns clients to him and pays him.

Kill, get money, kill another, then no harm shall come to his brother. Such a devilish cycle he is in. He doesn’t do it for the paycheck but cash once in a while won’t hurt.

Ash was drowning in his thought when he felt chair beside him shifted. A man, probably his age or younger by one year took a seat beside him. He called Alex and ordered a glass of bourbon in the gentlest way possible, complete with “please” and “thank you”. His face is already slightly flushed, like he just had a shot, which is confirmed by the smell of his breath when he turned his face to Ash’s direction. _‘Sake,’_ he identified the smell, a relatively weak alcoholic drink.

What a baby.

“You look angry,” he said in lightly accented English, tilting his head slightly. His doe eyes stared at him behind the thick-rimmed glasses, so innocent and unsuspecting.

Ash was used to be told that he looks cold and emotionless most of the time, even Shorter told him to loosen up while offering his special soup (which he begrudgingly ate because he is his best friend even though the thing ended up rendering his tongue numb for an hour). He really has no time to let his emotion slip through, not when there are threats everywhere. The alcohol must be clouding his mind.

“..Huh?” Ash snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that the man mumbled things in a slightly low voice, drowned in the jazzy music blaring through the speaker.

“Do you got.. stood up?” he repeated his words, slightly louder, putting a hand near his mouth in an attempt to conceal his voice from people around him. Ash just gawked at the question. He blinked once, twice, not answering the Asian man.

Three awkward seconds passed before the black-haired male fumbled to fix his wording, “I-I mean Did you got ditched? Your date didn’t show u-“

“I know what ‘stood up’ mean, but no I’m not ditched,” Ash finally answered, a bit of snicker slipped through his lips.

The man across him sighed in relief, “Oh I thought I used the wrong term, I’m sorry I’m not from around here.” He sipped his bourbon that Alex just freshly prepared, cringing visibly at the strong taste.

“Oh? Where are you from? East Asia?” Ash found himself getting immersed in the nonchalant conversation.

“Japan, and I’m guessing you are from Ireland? Your accent, I mean.” he put his chin on his hand, head nodding off a bit. His onyx-colored eyes glistened under the lamp above their table.

Ash’s jade-colored eyes widened, his mouth agape. He has been living in New York for god knows how long, and he is pretty sure he has gotten rid of all the connection he had with his father’s family. His hand unconsciously moved to cover his mouth.

“How do you know?”

“I worked with a lot of people with different accents,” the Asian man laughed it off and took a sip from his glass. His finger moved up to the side of his face and clumsily fixed the position of his glasses.

Ash continued drinking, only to be interrupted by a hand offered to him.

“Eiji, Eiji Okumura. My name, I mean.”

Ash was a bit taken back by the gesture but he complied anyway, “Ash, everybody calls me Ash.”

Eiji gripped Ash’s hand gently, lacking of force, and shook it lousily. The blonde could conclude two things just from the brief skin contact. One, he has slightly calloused hand, certainly not somebody who works behind the desk all the time. He wondered if he does sport or maybe has an experience with handling weapons like a knife or a gun. Two, he definitely can’t handle his liquor.

“What do you do daily? Like, do you have a certain hobby or a day job?” Ash can’t help but got curious it’s killing him. He questioned himself why he bothered to ask a semi-stranger whom he wouldn’t meet anymore.

“Let’s see.. I shoot people?”

Choking on his drink, the blond assassin coughed at Eiji’s blunt words. But also, he felt slight tinge of joy in finding somebody to share experiences and relate to. Shorter doesn’t have exactly the same job as he does and Blanca is not an interesting person to talk with.

“Oh, I do too!” Ash, a bit too excited, replied with a smile. It must be the cocktail he drunk taking effect on him. He grimaced as his platinum blond hair started sticking on his face because of sweat. He lightly combed it back with his fingers.

Eiji was no less excited than Ash was, his eyes literally sparkled under the bar’s lighting. “For real? Who are your clients? How do you prefer to do your job?”

“Whoa, hold your horses, young man-“

“Wha- I’m 24 years old, probably not younger than you!” the black-haired man pouted, his button nose scrunched a bit.

‘Cute..’

“Okay, my bad. I usually work for people who can afford to pay me, usually politicians or rich conglomerates, asking me to shoot important people of choice. I need to be clean with my job, so I usually do headshots and make sure that they don’t move too much before I do it,” Ash explained while his hands made motion of aiming with his one eye closed.

“Mhhm, headshot..,” Eiji mumbled, words muddled by his slipping consciousness. Nevertheless, he still took a sip from his glass of bourbon. “Classic.”

“But, really it was amazing that you are able to land a well-paying job. I still have to hop here and there, doing lousy errands and my boss is like, ‘Eiji, shoot this completely corrupt senator or shoot this useless widowed grandma for stealing a watermelon’,” the Japanese man impersonated who Ash assumed to be his boss with a goofy voice, protruding his jaw in a mocking gesture and frowned while his finger pointed everywhere. “Well at least the paycheck is decent,” he continued while waving his hand.

Ash can’t help but snorted from holding in his laughter. Alex had come around earlier, asking both of them if they want another drink. Eiji ordered another serving of sake while Ash skipped the offer. The bartender said that both of them were getting all close and chummy in such an exaggerated way that Ash had to restrain himself from shutting the man behind the counter. “Good for you,” Alex threw a knowing wink at Ash, earning him a glare.

“By the way,” Eiji opened his mouth again. He gulped down his share of alcohol before continuing. “Do you want to see my stuff?”

The Japanese’s hands started rummaging for his black backpack, opening the zipper and plunged his hand into it. Alex’s face visibly paled as people turned their head to the man beside Ash. The lynx, the most feared assassin gasped in shock and tried to reach out for the bag, his liquor-laced body betraying him as now they look more like a pair of pals rough-housing in the most inconvenient place ever.

“Eiji, don’t pull it out here, keep your weap- akh!”

 Eiji struggled against Ash who was clearly the strongest out of two of them, completely bewildered, before he can finally wriggled himself out of the blonde’s flimsy grasp and pull out a device out of his bag.

A Canon camera, EOS 5D written on the front, complete with 20-70mm lenses rested firmly on his hand.

Eiji stared at him, complete with cocked head, and Ash had never wanted to be knocked out more than he did in this moment.

 


End file.
